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Nominated for Ontario's 2001 Silver Birch Awards!


The village of Tichburg boasts 27 volunteer firefighters, 4 fire trucks, 3 small stores, a population of 473 offbeat residents - and an 11-year-old auxiliary assistant to the fire chief named Frogger, who cheerfully wanders around town trying to be helpful to everyone. But, as Frogger is about to learn, life in Tichburg is not as easy as it should be for a kid who just wants to keep everybody happy.

* A simple babysitting job for the affluent couple down the street gets complicated when Cigar Davis, a crusty 85-year-old, shows up with a sledgehammer looking for treasure he left in the attic in 1930.

* An easy favor for old Dolly Gilmore, the fire chief, turns into a scorched mess.

* And the Troth twins, who Frogger is babysitting, spell nothing but trouble.

Frogger's problems all add up to a hilarious series of misadventures that introduce young readers to the trials and tribulations of everyday life in the rural backwater of Tichburg - where nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Hilarious series of misadventures!!!
Frogger has a babysitting duty to fulfill. Mr. and Mrs. Troth are already uncertain about letting Frogger babysit their children but what will happen to them when Cigar Davis comes back to town and helps Frogger watch the terrible twins? What problems will Frogger face on his first day of babysitting? What will become of the humble town of Tichburg? I found this book very interseting and I would recommend it to anybody between the ages of 8 and 15!

Pretty Funny
This book is about a clumsy twelve year old boy named Frogger who feels that he needs to help out in the community.But when Frogger's involved, here's what happens...Trouble!One day, a ich family moves in down the street.In this family were two troublemakers:Kenny and Kerry.But it turns out that without meaning to, Frogger saves Kenny.He didn't even know them!The children pleaded to their mother .They wanted Frogger to be their new babysitter.The first day of Frogger's new job is a mess.An old man named Cigar Davis came to the house in which Frogger was babysitting and claimed that he used to live in it and he wanted some of his childhood treasures.Read about all of the messes poor Frogger gets into in this hilarious book! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mortimer Rules
I was introduced to this book in a graduate reading course. What a delightful story, as well as, a wonderful read. The vocabulary is wonderful for emergent readers. The vocabulary is kept simple, but also provides a few new terms. This is a great book for teachers and parents to include in their children's book library. ... Read more

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Vampire's Halloween, a book shaped like (what else?) a vampire, preparations for the vampire's favorite night of the year are in full swing. This could be the start of a boo!-tiful series!

Illustrated by John Bianchi ... Read more

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Over the last forty years, the number of American households with a stay-at-home parent has dwindled as women have increasingly joined the paid workforce and more women raise children alone. Many policy makers feared these changes would come at the expense of time mothers spend with their children. In Changing Rhythms of American Family Life, sociologists Suzanne Bianchi, John Robinson, and Melissa Milkie analyze the way families spend their time and uncover surprising new findings about how Americans are balancing the demands of work and family.

Using time diary data from surveys of American parents over the last four decades, Changing Rhythms of American Family Life finds that--despite increased workloads outside of the home--mothers today spend at least as much time interacting with their children as mothers did decades ago--and perhaps even more. Unexpectedly, the authors find the increase in mothers' time at work has not resulted in an overall decline in sleep or leisure time. Rather, mothers have made time for both work and family by sacrificing time spent doing housework and by increased "multitasking." Changing Rhythms of American Family Life finds that the total workload (in and out of the home) for employed parents is high for both sexes, with employed mothers averaging five hours more per week than employed fathers and almost nineteen hours more per week than homemaker mothers. Comparing average workloads of fathers with all mothers--both those in the paid workforce and homemakers--the authors find that there is gender equality in total workloads, as there has been since 1965. Overall, it appears that Americans have adapted to changing circumstances to ensure that they preserve their family time and provide adequately for their children.

Changing Rhythms of American Family Life explodes many of the popular misconceptions about how Americans balance work and family. Though the iconic image of the American mother has changed from a docile homemaker to a frenzied, sleepless working mom, this important new volume demonstrates that the time mothers spend with their families has remained steady throughout the decades. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Landmark analysis of American family time use
Using state-of-the-art data and methods, and addressing the most pressing problems of American family life, this book is a must read for anyone interested in the family division of labor, work-family time conflicts, and gender inequality. (Disclaimer: former student of one of the authors, but independent and accurate review, honest!) ... Read more

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A heavy snowstorm traps the students and staff in the school overnight thanks to the snoozing Principal Slugmeyer who fails to send everyone home early. Trapped without beds, supper or pajamas, the children rely on their beloved Ms. Mudwortz to help them.

And, of course, she saves the day with style, turning a potential disaster into a memorable sleepover that every school child dreams about (and every teacher fears).

Originally published in 1991, this is one of Bianchi's best-selling books. With sales of 175,000 copies, it is now back in print as a Pokeweed Press title.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A favorite with chidren that love school
Students that love school enjoy the possibilites of what would happen if the school gets snowed-in and they have to spend the night. I tell my students that they don't need to worry about this situation happening to us because our principal wouldn't ever be "too busy" to notice a snowstorm outside. They still like to speculate about where they would sleep and what they would have to eat(especially as we do not have a cafeteria but do have an ice cream freezer). It sparks ideas of what we could do to pass the time with games, activities, etc. The students especially enjoy the ending- something they hadn't anticipated but makes perfect sense once they think about it. A yearly favorite every winter. ... Read more

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A visitor to the zoo climbs on board the double-decker tour bus expecting to get a clear view of all the animals. But he soon discovers that not all the zoo inhabitants are easily found.

As he approaches each exhibit, he strains to spot the occupant without success (although a sharp-eyed reader is likely to spot some clues to the whereabouts of each elusive animal). Shouting out, "Where are you?" brings back the response, "Look again. We are here." And sure enough with a second glance, he finds the missing animals.

This classic peek-a-boo, where-are-you story offers a slight twist, however, when the bus reaches an overlook from which the visitor can see no animals at all. "Now where did you all go?" he calls out in exasperation until he once again takes a second look and discovers that all the animals have joined him on the bus.

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Dingle shares her years of feline know-how in this book of toys and games guaranteed to keep your cat a kitten forever. Clever illustrations thoughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Loved it!
I got this as a gift many years ago after laughing over it in the store.It's delightfully written, and if you are a cat lover, you will enjoy this.Lots of great illustrations to make you chuckle.

Tons of fun
This book was as much fun to read as is was helpful. Some of the games in it, I already play with my cats, but there were plenty of other original games that were a blast. The book is written casually, so it's funny to read. And the illustrations are good, too.

Fantastic Kitty Fun
This is a great book with excellent and little or not cost games and toys for cats. I have tried 4 games already and I just recieved the book. PitaPuss had a great time! and I did too. He really enjoyed the shoe box rideand he already plays in water so the bobbing for vegi's was a big hit. Ifyou have a cat this is a must for you. Know anyone with a cat they willreally enjoy this book as a gift. The illustrations are great and thewriting is witty and fun to read. Try it you will like it!

EXCELLENT BOOK!!
GREAT BOOK ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE GOT CATS! ... Read more

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An 8 page easy reader with repetitive text supported by illustrations.___ grow. ... Read more

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Reading Level Grade K; Guided Reading Level A; Intervention Reading Level 1Word Couint 35 ... Read more

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Young Robin dreams of becoming one of the King's foresters but a single mistake changes his life forever. Goaded into shooting a royal deer to prove his skills as an archer, Robin is declared a criminal and is forced to flee to the safety of Sherwood Forest. There he finds dozens of others hiding from the evil Sheriff of Nottingham but, unlike the others, he vows to fight the injustice around him and help the less fortunate.

The book relates some of Robin's classic exploits and introduces many of the Merry Band's characters while also presenting a story about correcting mistakes and defending honor. The illustrations capture some of the shadowy moodiness of earlier editions of this oft-told tale and gives Bianchi a chance to show off his incredible range as an illustrator who can bridge the gap between cartoons and classic painting.
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When a lonely little frog arrives at the zoo, he is disappointed that all the other animals seem too busy to welcome him. His disappointment turns to delight, however, when the animals give their new friend a surprise party to welcome him to the group. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

daughter approved
My daughter loves all these books. I dont see why but she loves them, they're easy and repetitious. I thought they were too easy but she can sit there and read them over and over again. As long as she's happy :)

A Great Beginning for a Beginning Reader!
My daughter, while barely four, devours books.We've been working on phonics and found the basic level of this beginning reader wonderful.She was reading it back to her Father the same night!The author repeats wordsthroughout the book making words easier to identify for young readers. Truth be told, it was the illustrations with their brilliant colors thatfirst captured my daughters attention.The frog experiences a range ofemotions that open doors for conversation about how she might have felt inthe same situation.Even as an adult, I enjoyed the book and the feelingof watching your child develop a new skill is priceless. ... Read more

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Winner of the Children's Roundtable Literature Information Book Award.Ideal for children, Exploring the Sky by Day offers fascinating insight into such phenomena as lightning, the 10 types of clouds, storms, solar haloes, sundogs, and sunsets. Brought to life with dozens of photographs and the color illustrations of John Bianchi the book provides an excellent introduction to weather and the atmosphere.